Euro 2012: Early Preview of the First Two Quarterfinal Matches

After the shocking final matches in the "Group of Life" and the thrilling finale to the "Group of Death," the first two quarterfinal matches of Euro 2012 have been set.

On Thursday, it will be Group A winners Czech Republic battling Group B runners-up Portugal, while Group B winners Germany and Group A runners-up Greece will square off on Friday.

With so much riding on each kick of the ball in the knockout stage, these matches deserve quite a bit of attention and analysis.

Here is a quick and early preview of the first two quarterfinals of this exciting tournament.

Czech Republic vs. Portugal: Thursday, 6/21, 19:45 BST

How they got here

Both had disappointing starts to their tournaments, losing their first match.

For the Portuguese, a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Germany now looks like a very respectable result, as they looked to give their opponents their toughest match on their road to a perfect nine points.  The Czechs' 4-1 loss to Russia, on the other hand, still lingers as a seemingly bad omen, as their defense was ripped to shreds by the Russian counter.

Both went on from there to defeat their next two opponents by one goal each.  To be fair, the Czech defense did look quite improved after the first match, suggesting that that may have been a mirage.  The Portuguese defense, on the other hand, seemed to go downhill while their attack sprang life.

Players to watch

The loss of captain Tomas Rosicky was thought to be a back-breaker for the Czechs, but they went on to improbably defeat Poland and take the group.  This was largely in thanks to one person: Petr Jiracek.

Jiracek has had two goals in this tournament thus far, the winners against Greece and Poland, and has had some incredible performances in midfield.  Czech coach Michal Bilek has gone so far as to call Jiracek "the heart of the team."

Also for the Czechs, Petr Cech may need to have a good match against the Portuguese attack to give his side a chance.  After his heroics in this year's Champions League, it's obvious that the Chelsea man is capable of such play.

As for Portugal, it's hard to look further than their captain, Cristiano Ronaldo.  Ronaldo finally broke his scoring drought for the national side with his brace against the Netherlands and, given his scoring prowess for Real Madrid, could be ready to blast off at this tournament.

Someone else to watch may be Pepe, the central defender who also plays for Real Madrid.  His near-post header against Denmark was a thing of beauty, but his play in the back has sometimes left his side exposed, as evidenced by Rafael van der Vaart's goal today.

Last meeting

The last competitive meeting between Portugal and the Czech Republic came in the second match of the group stage of Euro 2008.

In that match, Deco put the Portuguese ahead on eight minutes before Libor Sionko equalized in the 17th minute.  From there, it was the Ronaldo show, as Cristiano scored the go-ahead goal on 63 minutes and set up Ricardo Quaresma for a stoppage time goal to put it away, 3-1.

Prediction

Czech Republic have shown a lot over the past two matches, especially their fight and grit.

However, I think they've gotten unlucky as group winners to get Portugal, who have proved to be one of the most well-rounded and talented sides in the tournament.

It will be a tight match, but one or two moments of magic will be enough for Ronaldo and company to book a place in the semifinals.

Germany vs. Greece: Friday, 6/22, 19:45 BST

How they got here

Germany won every match in the "Group of Death," a feat that speaks for itself.  However, Germany was still able to prove their worth in pressure-filled situations, as they suddenly found themselves a goal conceded away from the exit in the last quarter of an hour of their match with Denmark.  They have proven to be one of, if not, the strongest sides in the tournament and the favorite for the European title.

As of just two days ago, Greece was seen as one of the weakest sides in the tournament after drawing Poland and losing to Czech Republic.  However, with the most shocking result thus far in the tournament, the Greeks defeated group-leading Russia to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

Players to watch

For Germany, Mario Gomez is an obvious choice.  The big Bayern Munich striker scored all three of Germany's goals in their first two matches and helped set up their first goal against Denmark.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is another big player for Germany, as he has been one of the main creative forces for the potent German attack.

Because of this incredible German attack, Greece will have to look for a big game around their net if they are to contend for a place in the semifinals.  Hence, there's a good chance that the Greeks will be relying on Michalis Sifakis, who played admirably in his first match against Russia, to step up in net.

Further, they will certainly be relying on Dimitris Salpingidis to have a big match on the wing and create their attacking and counterattacking moves.

Last meeting

The last time these two sides met in a competitive setting was in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

In both matches, Germany defeated Greece by two goals, the more recent coming in a 4-2 win in Athens by way of two late strikes from Miroslav Klose and Marco Bode.

To be fair, these matches were over 11 years ago and before Greece's history-changing Euro 2004 victory, so they may not be the best barometers.

Prediction

In their victory over Russia, Greece showed a huge amount of fight and a great deal of defensive organization.  Further, Germany did (relatively) have a bit of trouble with a similarly organized Denmark defense today.  Hence, this match might be a bit tougher for the Germans than many have thought.

However, I think the loss of captain Giorgos Karagounis to suspension (no matter how unjust that suspension is) will weigh heavily on the Greeks' chances of pulling off the upset.

In the end, I expect the Germans to be waltzing into the semis.

Then again, Greece has surprised me far too many times in the past for me to write off their chances.

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